Prime Minister's Office
English rendering of PM’s address at laying of foundation stone & dedication of development works at Modhera, Gujarat
Today a new energy of development has been infused for Modhera, Mehsana and for the whole of North Gujarat. Many projects from electricity, water, roads, rails, dairy, skill development and health have either been inaugurated or their foundation stone laid today. These projects, worth more than thousands of crores of rupees, will create new employment opportunities, help in increasing the income of farmers and livestock farmers and will also expand the facilities related to heritage tourism in the entire region. Many congratulations to all of you for these development projects. Greetings to the people of Mehsana!
Friends,
Today, when we are in Modhera, the abode of Lord Surya, it is a happy coincidence that today is also Sharad Purnima. Today is also the auspicious occasion of Maharishi Valmiki's birth anniversary. In a way, it is a confluence of three coincidences. Maharishi Valmiki introduced us to the harmonious life of Lord Rama and gave the message of equality. Wishing you and the entire nation a very Happy Sharad Purnima and Valmiki Jayanti!
Brothers and sisters,
For the past few days, you must have noticed the ongoing discussions regarding Suryagram in Modhera in TV, newspapers and social media across the country. There are many who say that they never thought that this dream could come true in their lifetime and today they see that dream coming true. There are some others who call it a new confluence of our age-old faith and modern technology, whereas others are describing it as a glimpse of future Smart Gujarat and Smart India. This is a moment of pride for all of us, for Mehsana and Gujarat. Let me ask the people of Modhera, Chanasma and Mehsana whether this has made them proud or not. Are they not enjoying this precious moment in their life? Earlier Modhera was known to the world because of the Sun temple only, but now it will also be identified as Suryagram, taking inspiration from the Sun Temple of Modhera. Modhera will leave its mark on the world map for environmentalists, friends.
Friends,
This potential of Gujarat, which is visible in Modhera today, is present in every nook and corner of Gujarat. Who can forget the attempts made by invaders to destroy the Sun Temple of Modhera, to raze it to the ground? Modhera, which was subjected to numerous atrocities, is now becoming an example for the world for its mythology as well as modernity.
Whenever there is a mention of solar power in the world, Modhera will stand out, because everything is being run on solar power here from electricity at homes to farming. Attempts will also be made to run all the vehicles on solar power. We have to step up such efforts to meet our energy needs in order to make a self-reliant India of the 21st century.
Friends,
I am constantly trying to take the country in the direction to ensure security for Gujarat, our future generations and your children. And that day will not be far when people across the country will make similar claims like the ones that I saw on TV when our brothers of Modhera were saying that now electricity is generated atop their houses and they are also getting money from the government. Electricity has not only become free, but they are also making money by generating electricity. Be it the owner of the electric factory, the person in the household, the farmer and the customer who uses it, all are equal. Use the power that you need and sell the excess power to the government. It will not only help in getting rid of electricity bills, but the people will also earn by selling electricity.
Tell me, is it not a win-win situation? There is no burden on the people and society and we can help people without burdening ourselves. No doubt, it will entail hard work, but we are born to do hard work. Our Mehsana district was a very troubled district, but the people here never backed down from hard work.
Friends,
The situation until now was that the government used to generate electricity and the people used to buy it. But I am committed to follow the path, trying to connect the country with it, which I see as a way forward. Therefore, the Central Government is making constant efforts so that people install solar panels in their homes and farmers generate electricity in their fields by using solar pumps. In the past, we were forced to agitate for horsepower. Now solar panels are being installed replacing the wires on the sideways of the field which used to waste about two metres of land. With the solar panels, your pumps will function, your fields will get water and, on top of it, the government will purchase the excess electricity. Have we not changed the entire cycle or not? The government is providing financial help to promote solar power and distributing millions of solar pumps.
I can see many youth who are 20-22 years old sitting here and who are not even aware of the problems faced by our farmers in irrigating their fields. What was the situation in Mehsana? Electricity was hardly available. Newspapers used to carry reports regarding the non availability of electricity. Our sisters and daughters used to trudge 3-3 kilometers with pots on their heads for water. My mothers and sisters of North Gujarat have gone through such difficult times. Today, our sons and daughters, who are 20-22 years old, are not even aware of the troubles being faced then. Many youths going to schools and colleges today would find it very surprising.
Friends,
If you ask your ancestors they will tell you the conditions in which we lived. There used to be so many problems. It was very difficult for the children to study in the absence of electricity. There was no TV or fans in those days. There used to be problems right from irrigation, studies to medicines. It used to badly affect the education of our daughters. The people of Mehsana district are very good in mathematics and science by birth. If you visit the US, you will find the marvel of North Gujarat in the field of maths and science. You will find a whole lot of teachers from Mehsana in the entire belt of Kutch. We had the potential but that generation could not reach the heights that they deserved due to the problems of electricity and water.
Today I would like to tell the present generation that there are unlimited opportunities and they should have the potential. Friends, you are not aware of the law and order situation at that time. If somebody had to go to Ahmedabad for the marriage purchases of his daughter, he would ask his relatives there whether there is peace in Ahmedabad or not. Did those days exist or not, friends? There used to be ruckus practically every day. Such was the situation that the first words of the infants used to be the names of policemen rather than ‘Kaka or Mama’ because they used to be stationed throughout outside their houses. The children were used to ‘curfews’ since their birth. Today the youth of 20-22 years have not heard the word ‘curfew’ because of our efforts in the law and order situation in Gujarat. Despite the atmosphere of opposition to development, Gujarat has emerged as a prominent state in the country because of the faith that you have reposed in us in the last two decades. I bow to the crores of Gujaratis for this growing respect for Gujarat.
Brothers,
It is because of the joint efforts of the government and the people that a new history has been created and it has been made possible because of your unflinching trust towards me. You never saw my caste, or my political leanings, but you blessed me and showered love on me. You had only one criterion. You saw my work and put your stamp of approval. You have blessed not only me, but my colleagues as well. As your blessings increase, my desire to do more for you also gets a boost.
Friends,
Change does not come on its own; it requires a far-reaching approach. The people of Mehsana are witness that we created five pillars for the all-round development of Gujarat. When I was the Chief Minister of Gujarat, I would tell my counterparts of other states that we used to spend a huge chunk of our budget to meet the needs of water. We have a huge water crisis and there is a famine in seven out of ten years. The other states of the country could not imagine that we were spending such a huge chunk of our budget on water. Therefore, we laid greater emphasis on Gujarat when we launched the Panchamrut Yojana. If there is no water and electricity then Gujarat will be ruined. Secondly, I was concerned about the future generations, and therefore, I put my entire energy for their education, for the health and wellness of the elderly. Thirdly, I worked for the prosperity of our farmers. Gujarat was well behind in comparison to other states as far as agriculture is concerned. If the farmers prosper then our villages will also prosper and if our villages prosper then my Gujarat will not be left behind. Therefore, we focused on agriculture. For the rapid growth of development, there should be better roads, railway networks, airports and connectivity and only then there will be opportunities to taste the success of development. There should be new industries and new avenues of tourism for relentless growth. And today, all these things are visible in Gujarat.
Look at the Statue of Unity. Today more people come to visit the Statue of Unity to pay their obeisance at the feet of our Sardar Saheb than the Statue of Liberty in America. In no time, Modhera will become a tourism center, friends. You just need to make preparations so that no tourist returns disappointed. Once the village decides this then there will be a large number of tourists visiting Modhera.
Friends,
I first mentioned providing 24-hour electricity to all the villages in Unjha. We launched the Jyotigram Yojana from Unjha. Our Narayan Kaka is sitting here, he knows the best. All the Gujaratis are witness to the vow that we took to provide 24-hour electricity to all the villages. We launched the movement and made it successful in 1000 days. When I went to Delhi, I found that there were 18,000 villages where electricity had not reached. There also I stressed that I want electricity in all those villages within 1000 days and you will be happy to note that you son of Gujarat ensured electricity in those 18,000 villages.
I remember when I came to Dediyasan in 2007 to launch a water project. At that time, I underlined the importance of water and asked the people to understand its importance. It is only after 15 years that they realized when they saw the news on TV that our 15-year efforts had started bearing fruits, making our fields greener and bringing smiles on the faces of my mothers and sisters. This is the power of water. I launched the Sujalam Sufalam scheme for building canals. The more I owe to the farmers of Gujarat is less because they gave me the land for the Sujalam Sufalam canal without bothering about the court cases in Kosi. In no time, the Sujalam Sufalam canal was ready and the waters that flowed into seas had started reaching the fields of North Gujarat and the people in North Gujarat started cooking three meals a day.
Today I am privileged to inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of water-related schemes. The people of Visnagar, my village Vadnagar and our Kheralu taluka will benefit the most. When there is easy availability of water, it will have a direct bearing on the health of the families and the potential of our mothers and sisters will be better utilized. It will also help animal husbandry and farming. Mehsana district is known for animal husbandry. I was told by Ashokbhai just now that our dairies have made a record profit after 1960. I congratulate the people involved in animal husbandry of North Gujarat that they entrusted the dairy work to those who stopped embezzlement and made you partners in the profits.
Brothers,
You have seen the days of famine when there was no water and fodder and we were forced to bring trainloads of fodder from across the country. The animals were distraught in the absence of water and newspapers were full of such reports. Today we are free of all those problems. Therefore, today, the youth aged between 20-22 years are not aware how we have extricated Gujarat from those problems. Now we need a quantum jump. We should not rest on our laurels. I believe that we need a four-fold increase in what has been achieved so far.
If there is electricity and water, it leads to industrial development and increase in agricultural and milk production. Now there is a great scope for food parks. FPOs are being established. Our Mehsana is emerging as a major force in medicines, cement, plastic and engineering products because there is a huge demand. What about our automobile industry at the Mandal Becharaji Special Investment Region! The people of Japan will manufacture cars here and export them to Japan. What more can one expect! The people of Japan come here, invest their money and manufacture cars here. It is the intellect and sweat of the youth of Gujarat that Japan imports cars from here. There are three plants and lakhs of cars are being manufactured here. There was a time when it was difficult to manufacture cycles here and now cars are being manufactured. Mark my words, friends. When cycles could not be manufactured in Gujarat, today cars and metro coaches are being manufactured here. The day is not far when the airplanes that you see in the sky will also be manufactured on the soil of Gujarat.
There are more than 100 suppliers who make small spare parts for Suzuki. The world is changing and there is no other option other than electric vehicles. One of the biggest such projects is at the feet of our mother Bacharaji. There is a Lithium Iron plant in our Hansalpur and I have to thank the farmers of Hansalpur again. I would like to share an anecdote with you. There were numerous reports which dubbed all such projects as wasteful and people were instigated to launch agitations. When we sought to bring the Suzuki project here then all the farmers of Hansalpur stepped up their agitation. The land here is such that it is difficult to grow millet here. We had a drought then and there was a huge agitation. I was Chief Minister of Gujarat then. They came to Gandhinagar and chanted slogans against me and burned my effigies.
I invited them for talks and heard their complaints. They said they would not part way with their land. I told them that if it was their wish then I would move the plant somewhere else in Gujarat. There were five-seven people who were intelligent and pleaded with me not to shift the plant anywhere and start it there itself. The farmers showed maturity and ended their agitation. You see, the entire industrial belt today is doing wonders and leading to the overall development of Mehsana.
Brothers,
In view of the Western Freight Corridor and Delhi-Mumbai Freight Corridor, this is emerging as an important manufacturing hub. Moreover, many new opportunities are emerging in the logistics and storage sectors and new employment opportunities are being created.
Friends,
We laid emphasis on connectivity in the last two decades. With the coming together of the double engine government in the form of Narendra  and Bhupendra , there is unprecedented speed in the development works. You will be distressed to know that the British had prepared a blueprint about 90-95 years ago in the 1930s. There is a file and it has a map which mentions the Mehsana-Ambaji-Taranga- Abu Road railway line. But the subsequent governments after the independence dumped the project. We revived that project and made fresh plans. I laid the foundation stone of that railway line when I came here last time to pay my respects to Maa Amba. You can imagine the change once that railway line is ready. It is going to bring about huge prosperity in the region.
Friends,
The Bahucharaji, Modhera, Chanasma road had huge problems due to a single lane before it was converted into a four-lane. When we used to come to Bahucharaji, only one bus could pass through. It would become a huge problem if another bus would approach from the opposite direction. Do you remember those days or have you forgotten? Today, it is a four-lane road. Development is incomplete without education, skill and health. Therefore, I laid special emphasis on these things in Mehsana and in Gujarat. An organization is being formed in the memory of Sardar Saheb for the training of government officials which will provide opportunity to the youth of the government to progress.
I congratulate the Gujarat government for taking this important decision of building a medical college in Vadnagar. Earlier, people would wonder where to go after completing their 11th studies. Now a medical college is being built in that village and this double engine government will strive to provide modern health facilities to all the districts of Gujarat.
Friends,
I am satisfied that the Prime Minister Jan Aushadhi Kendras are providing affordable medicines. A family, which had an elderly person suffering from any disease, was spending at least 1,000 rupees every month on medical bills. I request all of you to buy medicines from these Jan Aushadhi Kendras. These are authentic and generic medicines. The medical bills which earlier used to be around 1,000 rupees have come down to 100-200 rupees. Your son is making efforts so that you can save 800 rupees every month. Make use of those Jan Aushadhi Kendras.
I mentioned tourism which provides employment to a large number of people. Recently, excavation was done in Vadnagar and thousands of years-old things have been found. Like Kashi is imperishable, this is the second city, our Vadnagar, in India. Excavations show that it never perished in the last 3000 years and there has always been some human settlement. People from across the world will come to see the Sun Temple, Bahucharaji's pilgrimage, Umiya Mata, Satreling pond, Rani ki Vav, Taranga Hill, Rudra Mahalaya, the Toranas of Vadnagar, etc. There are so many places to visit that it will take a tourist at least two days. We have to take it forward.
Friends,
In the last two decades, we have worked diligently to restore temples and shaktipeeths. The condition of Somnath, Chotila and Pavagadh has been improved. The flag was never foisted on Pavagadh. Recently, I was here and the flag was hoisted after 500 years. Ambaji is shining like never before. I was told that there will be prayers in Ambaji in the evening and thousands of people are going to offer prayers there on Sharad Purnima.
Brothers,
Be it Girnar, Palitana, or Bahucharaji, huge projects are underway to attract tourists at all such pilgrimage centers. And if tourists come, it is good for everyone, friends. Our mantra is Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas and Sabka Prayas. This is the mantra of the double engine government. Like the light of the sun, which does not discriminate and spreads its light as far as it reaches, may the light of development reach every house. We need your blessings. Our team needs your blessings so that we can continue to augment the development of Gujarat. Once again, many congratulations to all of you and thank you.
Bharat Mata ki – Jai!
Bharat Mata ki – Jai!
Speak with full force. Our Mehsana should not be left behind.
Raise your hands and speak with me: Bharat Mata ki – Jai! Bharat Mata ki – Jai! Bharat Mata ki – Jai!
Thanks.
Disclaimer: This is an approximate translation of the Prime Minister's speech. Most of the original speech was in Gujarati language.